Sturgis advertiser. (Sturgis, Dakota [S.D.]) 1887-1???, 1887-10-05
aE1srking Back in Theology.

nized by breeders under variety of
names, as s.throwing back, ""carrying
back abreeding back" marking
back etc. In the well-known case.
of George III. the insanity was tt ms
mitted in the male line by atavic de-
scent, in whom not only the insanity,
but many other of the. well-kne vn
characteristics Of the unfortunate mon
arch were exactly exhibited. DR..
Chadbourne reported case that came
under his own observation of two
young men who were cousins, each of
whom had six toes upon his feet.
Neither of the parents had the defect,
but it was a characteristic of the grand
parents and appeared in the family a
long time before. Prof. Agasslz re-.
marked that the offspring is not the
offspring of father and mother, but of
grandparents as well, and some one
else has said that we are omnibuses
with all our ancestors packed inside,
whom we carry along with US. Dr..
Holmes said that every child could be
saved if the physician were called in
time, but he should be called 200 years
before the child was born.
About two centuries ago the staple
of the ordinary discourse was hell,
with its unquenchable fires, the misery
of its inhabitants, its eternal torments,
and such rhetoric as this was altogeth-
er too common: ooh, sirs, WEI all
the water in the sea Ink and every pile
Of grass pen, and every hair on all
the mems heads in the world the
hand of a ready writer, all would
be too short graphically to define
ate the nature Of this dungeon where
all lost souls must lodge forever "
This delectable matter of discourse was
supplemented by the Augustinlan doc
trine Of election, formulated anew by
Calvin, but of which even he was COM
PEELED to say, sit is horrible decree
indeed Edwards, IN his sermon on
"Sinners in the hands of an angry
God, !" and other modern devines car
ried these doctrines to the EXTREMIST
length, condemning ninety nine out of
every hundred persons. to predesti.
nation to eternal sufferings, and
NOT EVEN EXEMPTING BABES
for whom was reserved ssthe softest
side of hell as the only alienation
that could be afforded them. As w.
II Greg has written, if man believed
all this, would he ever become a fatherf
If believing all this, he ye: does 50
dare, where shall we find words strong
enough to denounce his hardened and
horrible barbarityp
During the last half century there
has been great change in mems ideas
with reference to mans future state
Hell has been relegated to the back
ground. We rarely hear it mentioned
to ears polite, and if necessary to re-
fer to 1T, the euphuism of the worldly
divine in the reign of Charles H., who
spoke of it as '.certain place which It's
not good manners to mention here,' is
initiated. The salvation of infants,
idiots and young and older persons rot
capable OF understanding the mean
ing of the gospel teaching is considered
assured. A happier and less d.
honoring creed than that of fifty
years ago is accepted, and Christian
people are more and more trusting in
the fatherbood of q good God. And in
addition to this there has been a grow
ing belief that there is probation in
another life for those who do not hear
of Christ in this life.
This is apostolic doctrine and held
by the church in some form ever since.
Il Is a logical sequence of a cardinal
doctrine of ssthe apostles creed, for
iii Christ preached to sinners who knew
not of him between his death and re-
surrection, by necessity those who have
died since without knowledge of him
or his gospel, must have like oppor-
tunity. sFor if Christ died for every
man, and faith in Christ is absolutely
essential to salvation, then it follows
as a necessary inference that the offer
of this salvation will be made to every
man before the final Judgment" This
is the ..Andoyer theory or hypothesis
(not dogma) affording a reasonable
hope for the heather abroad or at
home. There is for many Christians
no longer any question as to an inter-
mediate state between death and final
judgment, and there is no positive
Scriptural teaching that death is the
end of probation for all men, but on
the contrary trend against such a
supposition. ..It is everywhere the
Judgment to come" says Or. Field of
Amherst, ..to which the apostles point
as the end of probation for all. 1t is
the final Judgment that is the crisis. !"
But now. just as all Christian peo-
pies are harmonizlng upon the essen
tials of religion, there comes up
A DIscoRDANT CRY,
like the notes Of John Hook, upon
whom descended the lash of Patrick
Henry's eloquence; and candidates for
missionary work are rejected "because
they are not clear on the matter that
any heather or other person can be
lost, who has not heard the gospel. =
The committee Of the American board
have refused to let an earnest woman
60 is a missionary to the heather. be-
eau 8 though otherwise fully acquaint-
ed. she could not positively say that
all ffla h<afl,Af1 xUbn baua ,,f.f b<a..5s @y.<.